Fan Post: Nationals Bobbleheads-The Recent Years

Each Thursday We Let A Nats Fan Sound Off, Because Quite Frankly, The Fans Know More Than We Do

This Week's Entry Was Written By Nats Fan @Nati2de, runner of Ryan Zimmerman’s Bobblegänger on Facebook

========================Part II:  The Recent Years=======================
(Back To Part I)

We continue the look at the Nationals and how the team's players perform on the night of their bobblehead promotions:

============2010============

Ryan Zimmerman (June 19th, 2010)

The Face had a truly awful performance as he went 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts as the Nats were shutout by Jake Peavy and the White Sox 1-0.  Zim’s -0.219 WPA is the worst ever for a Nationals player on his bobblehead day.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 3-3

Nyjer Morgan (July 31st, 2010)

About a month or so before he completely lost his mind, Nyjer went 1 for 4 with 1 run scored and 1 sacrifice bunt as part of a 7-5 win over the by-then-very-much-hated Phillies.  On the negative side, Tony Flush struck out once and grounded into a double play.  He recorded a -.086 WPA for the game.  

Interestingly, the win came on a walkoff three-run homer by Ryan Zimmerman off Brad Lidge.  Maybe the Nats should consider giving away Nyer Morgan bobbleheads every game.


Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 4-3

Ivan Rodriguez (August 28th, 2010)

Pudge’s bobblehead was the result of a “Fan’s Choice” online vote.  Rodriguez responded for the fans with a big game going 2 for 4 at the plate with 2 RBI and a run scored.  His +.054 WPA contributed to a 14-5 pasting of Kyle Lohse and the Cardinals.  Uncharacteristically, the Nats went an incredible 8 for 11 with runners in scoring position that day.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 5-3

============2011============

Jayson Werth (July 30, 2011)

Werth, the Nats’ biggest 2011 offseason acquisition had one of his best games of 2011 on his bobblehead night as he went 2 for 3 with a first inning homer that plated all of the Nationals runs in a 3-0 win over the Mets.  His +.256 WPA is the best ever recorded by a Nationals player on his bobblehead night.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 6-3

Ian Desmond (August 20, 2011)

The Nats 3 game win streak in player bobblehead games was snapped by the Phillies in a 5-0 loss.  On his big night, Desmond went 0 for 4 at the plate with 1 strikeout.   He did manage to coax a walk, but also committed a fielding error.  His -.084 WPA was part of an overall “blah” game by the Nats.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 6-4

Danny Espinosa (September 10, 2011)

In the 2011 “Fan’s Choice”, the fans obviously made the wrong choice in selecting Espinosa who had a performance rivaling Zimmerman’s in his 2010 bobblehead game.  Espi went 0 for 4 at the plate with 3 strikeouts in a 9-3 pounding by the 48-96 Astros for a -.071 WPA.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 6-5

============2012============

Stephen Strasburg (April 14, 2012)

The Nats ace did not play in this game as it was not his turn to pitch.  However, Edwin Jackson had a Strasburg-like outing pitching a complete game 2 hitter to pace the Nats to a 4-1 win over the Redlegs.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 7-5

The Rest Of The Year

The two remaining 2012 bobblehead giveaways are scheduled for August 5^th (Michael Morse) and September 8^th (Ryan Zimmerman).  Here’s to hoping that the third time is the charm for Zimmerman and this bobblehead night turns out better for him than the first two.   

So that was a look at the history of the Washington Nationals and their bobbleheads.  I know that performance is not correlated to bobbleheads but I thought it was a curious thing to explore.  Hope you enjoyed!